Lady&#39;s handbag assembly



July 22, 1958 R. KORET LADYS HANDBAG ASSEMBLY Fild Maii'28. 1956 FIG. I

INVENTOR RICHARD KORET M M I ixTToRNEis United States Patent LADYS HANDBAG ASSEMBLY Richard Koret, Bedford Hills, N. Y., assignor to Koret, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 28, 1956, Serial No. 587,638

3 Claims. (Cl. 150-28) As a general rule, the various womens clothing accessories, including bags, shoes and'the like, are selected in a manner to match, harmonize or otherwise blend with a selected gown or dress in order to achieve the maximum effects from the ensemble as a whole. In the case of purses or handbags, it follows that a number of bags must be available for matching or harmonizing with different gowns or dresses. This ordinarily necessitates the purchase of a substantial number of bags at a considerable cost, particularly when better quality accessories are indicated. Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide an improved handbag assembly which provides for the use of a limited number of bags as matching or harmonizing accessories for a wardrobe containing a much larger number and variety of gowns or dresses.

It has been found that women often prefer bags which provide for the segregation of the various articlesrcommonly carried in such bags, in a manner which permits easy access to certain articles withoutdisturbin'g. others. Accordingly, anotherobject of this inventionis to provide a ladys handbag assembly comprising two individual bags associated in a novel manner whereby items may be divided between the two bags, thus permitting either of the bags to be separately opened or closed without disturbing the other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ladys handbag assembly in the form of a pair of individual bags, each bag being made of material different in color, pattern or the like, from that of the other, the bags being adapted to be associated with each other in a manner to entirely expose a side of one of the bags while only partially exposing a side of the other bag. The improved arrangement provides, in a given set of two bags, two' different visual effects which may be selectively used to advantage for matching or harmonizing with different gowns or dresses.

Still another object of this invention is to provide individual ladies handbags made up of materials differing in appearance, the bags being arranged in pairs and being adapted for detachable connection. In this manner, various pairs of bags may be based on a selection of the bag materials whereby the overall visual effect of the two selected and associated handbags is best suited for use with a particular gown or dress.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide an improved ladys handbag comprised of a pair of individual handbags having interengageable connecting means arranged in such manner that the bags may be associated in overlapping or offset relation to achieve desirable ornamental effects. The arrangement has the further important advantage of facilitating the use of 'ice 2 the separate bags by affording easy access to the interiors thereof. I l I 3 Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved handbag assembly which permits a limited number of such bags, each having a different exterior appearance, to be associaed in a larger number of possible ornamental combinations, each combination comprising two handbags.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the following description and accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a ladys handbag assembly embodying the invention and comprising a pair of individual handbags shown in associated relation for normal use; a

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the individual bags in detached relation with their normally inner surfaces in view to show the means for detachably securing the bags to each other;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the handbag assembly shown in Fig. 1.

Referring initially to Fig. 1, the numeral 10 designates generally the complete handbag assembly of the invention. The assembly comprises a pair of individual handbags 11, 12 of similar outline and of any desired geometric configuration. In the illustrated form of the invention, the bags 11, 12 are of substantially rectangular outline.

Each of the bags 11, 12 comprises the usual frame 13 consisting of a pair of inverted U-shaped members of metal, plastic or the like. The U-shaped members 13 include vertical leg portions 14 interconnected across the top by horizontal portions 15, the leg portions 14' being pivoted together at their lower ends, as at 16. Each bag also includes a body portion made up of fabric, plastic sheeting or the like and having opposed panel portions 18, 18a. The panel portions are secured along their top edges 19to the horizontal portions 15 0f the frames 13 and at the'upper ends 20 of their side edges to the vertical portions 14 of the frames. The lower side edge portions 21 of the pairs of panels 18, 18a are secured together, as are the bottom edges 22 of said panels.

At the upper edge of the U-shaped frame 13 of each bag there are affixed conventional frictionally interengageable closure elements 23, 23a for closing the bags. The closure elements 23, 23a are advantageously located centrally of the horizontal frame portions 15.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided for attaching a selected bag 11 to another handbag 12. To this end, there is mounted on the inner panel 18a of each handbag a pair of laterally spaced, detachable type connecting elements 24, 25, wherein element 24 may be of the male type and element 25 of the female 'type. The elements 24, 25 may be conveniently located somewhat below the upper edges 19 of panels 18a and in nonsymmetrical or offset relation to side edge portions 20 of the panels.

It will be apparent that the handbags 11, 12 may be associated in attached relation, as shown in Fig. 1, by engaging the connecting elements 24, 25 of one bag into the complementary elements 25, 24 of the other bag, thus disposing panels 18a of said bags in opposed, face-toface relation, with panels 18 facing outwardly. It will also be apparent, that bags 11, 12 will be in laterally ofiset relation to each other, thereby exposing to view an end portion of panel 18a of one bag while completely exposing to view the entire panel 18 of the other bag.

Advantageously, the material of the bodies of the handbags 11, 12 is selected so that each is of a different color, design or pattern. Thus, individual bags may be paired to provide any desired combination of colors,

7 3' designs, patterns or the like, as may be best suited for use with a particular gown or dress. Thus, a gown having several colors or patterns may be harmoniously related to correspondingly selected colors or patterns for the, handbag a ssembly. 11,-l 2.i;,: t Obviously, the associated, attached bags 11, 12.may be carried with either of the bags outermost so as to emphasize the color or pattern of thetbag body of the'particular bag so disposed. Moreover, while the bags 11, 12 are shown.- to be of similar outline and with their bottomedges 22 in coterminous relation, it will be understood that the bags may be otherwise arranged relative to each other in their attached condition bysuitable disposition ofconnecting elements 24, 25. In this manner, various ornamental effects may be obtained through appropriate exposure of different portions of the bag bodies in their respective colors, patterns, designs or the like.

With the handbags 11, 12 in laterally ofiset'relation, closure elements 23, 23a on one bag are in displaced or offset relationto the corresponding elements on the other bag, thereby facilitating the opening and closing of individual bags to gain access to their respective contents. As various changes might be made in the specific form of the invention herein shown, without departing from the clear teachings of the invention, it is understood that all matter shown or described herein shall be deemed illustrative and not by way of limitation except as set forth in the appended claims. Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent: 1. A ladys handbag assembly comprising in combina tion a pair of handbags, each handbag comprising a pair of pivotally connected frame members, said frame members being of generally inverted U shape and being pivotally connected at the lower ends of the depending legs of the members, a handbag body connected to each pair of the frame members, said body comprising opposed panels the upper-portions of which are attached along their top and side edges to the respective frame members of an interconnected pair, the lower portions of said opposed panels extending below said frame members and being joined along their bottom and side edges,

a pair of horizontally spaced snap fastener elements on one of the panels of each handbag body, said snap fastener elements being spaced evenly from the upper portion of the inverted U-shaped frame member engaging said one panel and lying above the lower ends of the said frame member, the snap fastener elements of a pair of handbags being adapted to be interconnected to secure a pair of handbags together.

2. The handbag assembly of claim 1, further characterized by the interconnected pairs of frame members having manually operable closure means projecting upwardly from the center portions thereof for holding the pairs of frame members in closed relation, the snap fastener elements of the respective handbags being located in offset relation to the median line between the sides of the handbag whereby said handbags may be secured to each other in laterally offset relation.

3. A ladys handbag comprising in combination -a pair of pivotally connected frame members, said frame members being of generally inverted U shape and being pivotally connected at the lower ends of the depending legs of the members, a handbag body connected to the frame members, said body comprising opposed panels the upper portions of which are attached along their top. and side edges to the respective frame members, the lower portions of said opposed panels extending below said frame members and being joined along their bottom and side edges, a pair of horizontally spaced snap fastener elements on one of the panels, said snap fastener elements being spaced evenly from the upper portion of the inverted U-shaped frame member engaging said one panel and lying above the lower ends of the said frame member, said snap fastener elements being adapted to be interconnected with similar fastener elements of a like handbag to secure a pair of handbags together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 618,686 Kleinstuber Jan. 31, 1899 2,253,682 Brody Aug. 26, 1941 2,405,744 Glass Aug. 13, 1946 2,493,506 Schwartzbard Jan. 3, 1950 2,609,854 Rosen Sept. 9, 1952 

